Canadian politics, these days. A fucked up federal government. A
disconnected regime fronted by a megalomaniac. (More than usual.)

Given this (and it is a given) why is so much Kanadian fotografy, at
least (or especially) here in Kapital City, so apolitical?

I wonder if my new project, Official Ottawa, addresses my concerns
and the way I feel this city.

Shooting the West Block of Parliament Hill

I think (but am not sure) that these images are coloured by the
current state of affairs here. (Or maybe they just show how I see
in general.)

I don’t know.

Yesterday I was listening to Christopher Hitchens eviscerating
Mother Theresa . He brought forward facts.The thing that most
struck me was when he asked: “Why do you need me to tell you
this? Why aren’t these facts reported?”

He was wondering about our perspective, wondering why it (our
perspective) is so often (almost always) so narrow, why we mostly
either see what we’re used to seeing or what we want to see, and,
sometimes, what we’re told to see.

West Block, Parliament Hill. Ottawa, June 2013

All fotografers will tell you that one of the reasons they take fotos
is to record and to show what is important to them. I can’t help but
remember, though, Robert Frank’s words:

. . .I thought of something Malraux wrote: “To trans-
form destiny into awareness.” One is embarrassed
to want so much for oneself. But, how else are you
going to justify your failure and your effort?

So too do I wonder what I’m doing, wonder how it might fit into
or alter what is important and wonder if it brings forward a less
often seen perspective.

A lot of wondering. Not many answers.

BRETT GUNDLOCK

Speaking of perspective, here in Kanada (as well as elsewhere)
there is much debate about the oil sands project in northern
Alberta. Both sides, pro’s and con’s, are entrenched.

Pro: money, jobs and energy.

Con: fucking up Planet Earth.

Enter Brett Gundlock, who, in one fell swoop has added another
perspective to the debate. This new work, OIL $$$, also adds a
whole other layer of stuff to think about.

I’ll link to it here and close by mentioning this is necessary work
and you should consider looking at his fotos and reading the story
that follows them.